Interpretation of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible: Reference Tools

Concordances are useful exegetical tools that provide information about words in the Bible, including which passages contain a word, the number of times the word occurs, and what the word is in the original language. 

Steps of using a concordance 

1. Choose a concordance that corresponds with the Bible translation that you’re using 

Since translators often choose different ways to translate the original Greek and Hebrew, it is important to use a concordance that matches the translation of the Bible that you’re using. Wright Library has concordances for major Bible translations in English and other languages. A few frequently used concordances are listed below, and others can be found here. 

2. Look up a word of interest 

English-language concordances are arranged alphabetically by English word, just like in a dictionary. Here is the entry for “higher” from The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, which is based on the King James Version (KJV).  

Next to the entry for the word is a number stating how many times this word is used in the Bible. All of those uses, arranged by biblical book, are listed below the word. The verse number for each occurrence of the word is also included. Next to the verse citation is a number that corresponds to the Hebrew or Greek word in the original text. These numbers make it easy to look up Hebrew and Greek words in the concordance’s dictionary, even if you do not read those languages. In this example, “higher” is the English translation for several different words. To find out more about these words, turn to the dictionary in the back of the concordance or in a corresponding volume. 

3. Look up the number in the dictionary  

Concordance dictionaries typically have two sections: one for Hebrew and one for Greek. To find the word translated as “higher” in 1 Samuel 9:2, look up the number “1364” in the Hebrew section. Here is the dictionary entry: 

The entry provides the Hebrew word, how many times it is used in the Bible, a transliteration of the word, and a pronunciation guide. It then lists some translations of the word, including all of the translations used in the KJV. The rest of the entry provides further explanation of the word, along with context and examples. The entry concludes with citations for other reference works for further word study. 

Many concordance dictionaries, even for different translations, use Strong’s numbering system. Goodrick-Kohlenberger (G/K) is another major numbering system, based on the New International Version (NIV). If the concordance and dictionary that you are using are separate volumes, make sure that they use the same numbers. 

Online word study tools 

Many websites provide similar word study tools as print concordances. Here are some online word study resources: 

Original language concordances

Concordances are also available in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.